An Assassin's Heart
by SweetyPie50
Summary: Estele has always been dedicated to the Order but she's never had control over emotions, no matter how hard she tried. Sometimes, you have to be dragged through hell to learn the hard lessons, something Estele will soon realize. Takes place during Black Flag. OC/OC Hints of Kiddway, maybe more later on.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I only own Estele and Elena. Anything else is from the Assassin's Creed: Black Flag game and belong to Ubisoft.**

Chapter 1:

Estele hated pirates. They were filthy and their minds were numbed from too much drink. So she could never understand why Mary chose this life. Sure, the world was wide open on a ship and that helped the Order but food was scarce and they were always under threat of attack. And the men! They were disgusting! This was the thought that ran through Estele's mind as they stepped onto the shore of Nassau.

"Wonderful. A whole port of men who won't bath," she muttered under her breath. Her complaining had gotten to the point that Mary just ignored her. Estele hated being on her ship but she still came, just in pursuit of the Templars. Everything Estele did was to eradicate Templars. Estele was not much younger then Mary, perhaps just a few years younger but Estele was almost always all smiles and giggles. Almost. Estele took being an Assassin very seriously and she had an incredible hatred for anything Templar.

"I'm going to the bureau here," Estele said. "I'll see you… When we leave." Mary huffed.

"It's not so bad here," she said.

"I don't find it enjoyable to be surrounded by dirty pirates who haven't seen-much less touched-a woman in months. Well, not to their knowledge anyways." Mary shot Estele a severe glare but Estele only smiled. "Besides, as much as I love pretending to be your lover, I can only pretend to be an empty-headed wench for so long." Mary suppressed a groan.

"I never asked you to do that," she said.

"No, but it's so much fun," Estele smirked, knowing full well that her friend hated the act but it stopped too many questions from being asked and gave Estele an excuse to spend most of her time in the captain's quarters. "By your leave, Captain Kidd." She said, with a slight bow before starting down towards the bureau. She was itching to climb but she didn't want to draw any attention to herself. They were living on a knife's edge right now. Duncan Walpole had betrayed them and now they were just waiting for what would happen.

Estele hated Templars, but she hated traitors even more. Estele couldn't think of anything more deplorable than turning your back on the Order, on your brothers and sisters for the Templar Order, the natural enemy of the Assassins. Estele would not stay her blade if she ever saw Duncan. Betraying the Order was punishable by death, as it should be.

Estele stepped into the bureau, hearing the two brothers who ran this bureau together whispering amongst themselves.

"I do hope something interesting is happening," she said as she walked over. Upton and Vance seemed startled for a moment but quickly got over it when they saw her. Estele had been here a few times, through no choice of her own. She often left Tulum with Mary, going to different ports and completing contracts but that meant she couldn't return until Mary did. Sure, she could try and get another ship to take her there but she wouldn't risk leading someone to Tulum. So, when they took their inevitable stop in Nassau, Estele spent most of her time in the bureau, helping the Assassins there. Not that there was much to help with.

"Not all that interesting," Upton said and Estele let out an exasperated sigh.

"No Templars in with these British soldiers? No whispers of anything having to do with precursors?" She asked. Upton shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but no," he said.

"Is there anything interesting that happens here? Besides tavern fights," Estele asked.

"These British soldiers have certainly livened things up," Vance said. "It feels like a powder keg here, ready to blow at any moment."

"Eventually tensions will come to a head," Estele said, glancing out the window. "I doubt the pirates stand a chance against the British. So long as we aren't caught in the crosshairs."

Estele's dedication to the Order came from her parents. Estele was born to two Assassins and they trained her. The loss of her father some years ago had only lit a fire in Estele and she threw herself into her training even more. Estele suspected it did the same to her mother as well but her mother was better at hiding it.

Estele admired her mother greatly. She aspired to be a woman like her mother. Elena was a picture of composure, even in tense situations. Elena was level-headed and able to think things through. That was the one part Estele had trouble with. She often acted without thinking. Her mother had lectured her countless times on it. Estele worked everyday to control her emotions. It wasn't an easy task.

"Nassau is the most boring place I've been too," Estele decided, having left the bureau and going for a walk. With luck, they'd be leaving for Tulum soon. They had only been here for a few hours and Estele felt like she was losing her mind. She needed to be useful to the Order. Being at this port was not being useful.

A flash of blue caught her eye and Estele looked up to see a familiar set of robes retreating to the beach. Duncan Walpole. Traitor. Estele had only taken a few steps toward him before someone grabbed her arm, pulling her away. Estele reacted quickly, swinging around to hit the person holding her but the person grabbed her arm, stopping her mid-swing.

"It's not him Estele," Mary said. Estele frowned, confused as she looked to her friend and back in the direction that the traitor had left.

"Those are his robes, Mary. Who else would it be?" Estele asked, wrenching her arm free.

"Estele, Walpole's dead," Mary said. Estele thought back to when they learned of their failure in getting the Sage. Facts were few and far between as most of the Assassins who went didn't come back, but those who did said there was a man in Walpole's robes who wasn't Duncan Walpole. Estele had dismissed that story. Who else could it have been? Now, as she thought back to the retreating figure, she realized he was blonde. Walpole wasn't blonde.

"It doesn't matter," Estele shook her head. "Men and women still died because of him."

"He didn't know what he was doing," Mary said firmly. She knew what Estele wanted. She wouldn't let her have it. "He knows about the observatory Estele. And he has information on the Templars now." Estele looked at Mary incredulously.

"You want to recruit him?" She asked. "After everything he's done?"

"He's a good man, just made some poor choices," Mary said. "Trust me with this, Estele. I wouldn't be saying this if I thought he was a danger to the Order." Estele studied her friend. They hadn't known each other long but Estele already considered Mary her best friend and she could tell that Mary cared for this man. In many ways, Mary reminded Estele of her mother. They were both level headed, thoughtful women and Mary was not blinded by emotion the way Estele was. Perhaps the blonde man didn't know what he was doing but he still killed other Assassins. After a long battle with herself, Estele let out a defeated sigh. It wasn't for her to decide what happened to this man.

"Alright, I'll trust you." She finally said. "But don't forget that the final decision is with Ah Tabai."

"I haven't," Mary said firmly.

"So, we'll be stuck here for a little bit longer then?" Estele asked with a sigh.

"'Fraid so," Mary said, but there was a smile on her face.

"Well, I hope this pays off," Estele sighed. "And maybe I'll find some contracts here."

"I'm sure if you can't find a problem, you'll create one," Mary muttered as she started walking away.

"I'm not that bad," Estele said, following her. There were silent for a while as they walked, Estele thinking back to what Mary had told her about the man in Walpole's robes.

"I really hope you're right about that man, Mary," Estele whispered as they passed a group of men. "I don't want all those Assassins to have died for nothing." Mary didn't respond so Estele wasn't sure if she had heard her or not.

**Well, what did you all think? I'm really excited for this story and I really enjoy Estele as a character. If you have any constructive criticism, please share it and just everyone tell me what you think. Thanks for reading guys!**

**PS: If you're waiting for my rewrite of Shattered, it will come soon. I have a plan. I'll finish this story as soon as I can and then I'll rewrite and actually finish Shattered. Thanks again for your patience!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own Black Flag or any of the Assassin's Creed games. Just Estele and Elena.**

Chapter 2:

They didn't end up spending as much time in Nassau as Estele feared they would. They still weren't going home, but they weren't in Nassau anymore. It always made Estele happy when they ended up leaving that port. If only there wasn't more pirating planned.

"So, robbing a plantation?" Estele asked, standing at the helm while Mary steered the ship.

"It keeps the men happy and keeps us afloat for the trip back," Mary answered.

"The more you talk about going home, the more excited I get," Estele huffed. "Which leads to more frustration because we haven't even started to go home." Mary rolled her eyes.

"Shouldn't Assassins have more patience?" She asked quietly, though there was a small chance of them being heard by the crew over their singing. If it could be called that.

"In certain situations, I have plenty have patience," Estele said. "When it means not revealing myself, I'm very patient."

"I've seen you on the hunt," Mary chuckled. "Patient is not the word I would use."

"But they still don't see me coming," Estele said. "I can at least wait until the right moment." Mary shook her head. Sometimes, there was just no winning with Estele. She learned that quickly after meeting the girl.

"And your plan with this man?" Estele asked. "We're not leading him home, are we?"

"You just let me handle him," Mary said.

"You sound like you still live in that fantasy world where you can keep me out of things like this," Estele sighed.

"I can hope," Mary muttered. Estele only smiled in response.

Estele was relieved as they docked at the island. It was quiet. Not filled to the brim with drunken pirates. It reminded her of home, without the jungle foliage. She missed that island.

"You go plan your raid, I'm going to explore," Estele said, already walking away.

"Stay out of trouble," came the reply and Estele smirked.

"I doubt there's much trouble to get into here," she replied before finding a tree to climb up. She loved to climb and jump. It was the closest she could get to flying and she could see everything. She was faster on the rooftops and had an easier time catching her targets should they run. She felt safer climbing here as opposed to Nassau. The British soldiers would have hated it if she started running around on the rooftops at Nassau. And there was no telling the kind of attention it would draw. Here though, it was quiet and there were no soldiers. There were only a few people here and they barely paid her any mind as she climbed up a tree.

Finding a high tree where she could keep an eye on things, she could understand Mary's draw to the sea. It was beautiful and the world was wide open. Piracy was a completely different thing than just sailing on the sea, however. Pirates had no law, no creed. They took what they wanted and lived how they pleased. But isn't that what the Order was fighting for? Freedom? Estele sighed as she thought about where they would draw the line. The Templars would have humanity enslaved, thinking how the Templars decided. That was no future in that. But there had to be some limits drawn, someone in control to ensure that they way some people chose to live didn't hurt others. Estele supposed that was what governments were for. But most of the governments these days were made up of Templars.

"I'm thinking in circles," Estele sighed. "Those things can be decided when we rid the world of Templars." And she had every intention of making the Templars extinct. Damn it, they were so close too. It was a constant up and down between the two. Sometimes the Templars were winning, sometimes it was the Assassins. Up until recently, the Assassins were winning. They could have eradicated the Templars in these parts this time and then the false Assassin betrayed them.

Just the mere thought of him angered her. It was only her promise to Mary that stayed her blade as she saw the man in the stolen robes striding over to Mary. He had an arrogance about him. Estele could see it in the way he walked and she watched him and Mary, no doubt talking about the plantation raid. Everything about this man pointed to an average pirate, with care for no one but himself.

"I don't see what you see in him," Estele said after she had climbed down the tree and stood beside her friend, watching the man sneak away.

"That's cause you don't him," Mary replied.

"I already said I'd trust you on this, but that doesn't excuse what he did," Estele said.

"People can change, Estele," Mary said. "And people can learn from mistakes."

"Let's hope he's one of those people. I won't kill him or hurt him but you know where I stand on this," Estele said.

"Yes, you've made it quite clear," Mary sighed, giving Estele a light pat on the shoulder before walking away.

"Happy raiding," Estele said half-heartedly as she turned away. She had a bad feeling about this man but was comforted by the fact that the choice wasn't hers. It was up to Ah Tabai and he would not be forgiving to a man who killed members of their Order.

Estele must have been wondering the island for hours and she found it quite peaceful. It was still inhabited but it wasn't full of rowdy pirates. Estele thoroughly enjoyed that fact. The quietness gave her time to think but she found her mind kept returning to the same thing. She couldn't understand how Mary could excuse what this man did. Members of the Order, their brothers and sisters, were dead because of this man. There were some things that just couldn't be excused or forgiven. So why then, hadn't Estele taken action? Estele didn't have to think long and hard about that one. Mary was her friend and she believed very firmly in this man. Mary wasn't born into the Order, she chose it and she took it just as seriously as Estele. She wouldn't do something to endanger it. Estele huffed, watching an iguana scurry across the sand.

"It must be nice," she muttered, watching it from a distance. "Just worrying about where you're next meal will be." Of course it wasn't so simple. Nothing in this world was.

A sound of cheers further down the beach caught her attention, breaking her from her thoughts. Estele was grateful for that. She couldn't come to a clear answer and it was driving her insane. Walking towards the beach, Estele saw that Mary and the man had returned. It occured to her then she hadn't actually learned this man's name. She couldn't decide if she really wanted to.

"Good haul?" Estele asked as Mary stepped onto the beach.

"Very good," Mary smiled with a nod. Estele glanced over at the men. They were joined by a new captain it looked like, judging by the way he was dressed compared to other pirates. They had already broken out the rum. Fantastic. Estele chose to hang back as Mary joined them. None of them paid her any mind as she found a rock to lean against. She found herself watching the blonde man. She should probably learn his name, so she wouldn't refer to him as just 'the man' or any other myriad of things she was thinking.

Early on, she decided that the conversation was going nowhere. They were just talking about their pirate republic. There would be no point in hanging around while they got drunk, so Estele pushed away from the rock and started walking away.

"Then let us find the Obersvatory. If it does what these Templars claim, then we'll be unbeatable." That stopped Estele in her tracks. She didn't doubt Mary when she told her this man knew about the Observatory but it was entirely different when she heard it for herself. The Observatory was quickly dismissed and they turned the conversation to defenses for Nassau but Estele was still thinking about what the man-Kenway, she'd heard them call him-had said about the Observatory. Whether or not he would be forgiven was still something Estele couldn't answer but he did have information they could use. If they could get the Sage and locate the Observatory before the Templars, they'd have the upper hand again. They could get rid of them once and for all.

At some point it was decided that they'd be going after a Spanish Galleon. Normally, if it were possible for Estele to stay behind, she would. Not this time and she told Mary as much once it was just the two of them.

"I thought you hated pirating," Mary said.

"Hate is a strong word. And while it's not my favorite thing to do, I want to see this man in action," Estele said. "Perhaps I'll see what you do."

"Perhaps you will," Mary replied. Estele could tell when something pleased her. This was one of those things and Estele was comforted in the fact that this would pay off in some way. They just needed to get the information from Kenway. What happened to him after that, so long as he wasn't inducted into the Order just for having information, Estele couldn't find it in her to care.

**Well, there it is! What did you all think? Constructive criticism is always more than welcome! So yeah, please review and tell me what you think and the next chapter should be up relatively soon. Thanks for reading!**


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